The Estonian government estimates Russia could need “three to four years” to prepare a “test for NATO”, said Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna during his visit to Warsaw.
During his press-conference in the Polish capital city, Tsahkna said Estonia does not consider Russia a direct threat to Baltic States because Moscow is too busy with Ukraine.
“But we have to understand that Russia’s war machine is working at full capacity, both in terms of manufacture and mentality, because [dictator Vladimir] Putin is controlling everything,” said the Estonian minister.
Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia are considered potential targets if Russia decided to one day invade NATO. Even Poland, though it is much bigger, feels threatened. All four countries are confident supporters of Ukraine.
Tsahkna and Polish Minister of Defence Radoslaw Sikorski both stressed that it is important to maintain strong support for Ukraine.
The Estonian minister reminded that in 2017, when he was the country’s minister of defence, Russia had stationed 120 000 troops along the border with Baltic States. Since then those troops have been transferred to Ukraine, where many of them have died, according to the Estonian minister.
Tsahkna stressed that “Ukraine is not fighting for us – it’s fighting in our stead”.
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Tsahkna: NATO has three or four years to prepare for possible Russian aggression
